/documents/2019/3/8//BBGAME9.pdf?id=1721Boxscore

CARY, N.C. – The East Stroudsburg University baseball team and LIU Post played scoreless into the top of the eighth inning before the Pioneers scored four times in the frame en route to a 5-0 victory over the Warriors on Friday at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary, N.C.
 
The Warriors (7-2) saw their three-game winning streak come to an end in their first of four games this weekend. ESU had a chance to plate the first runs of the contest in the bottom of the seventh inning after the Warriors started the frame with back-to-back singles. The Pioneers (5-5) would escape any damage with an inning-ending 6-4-3 double-play.
 
Four different Warriors recorded a hit in the contest as redshirt senior Christian Rishel went 1-for-2 with a single and a walk. Rishel extended his on-base streak to nine-straight games for ESU, while sophomore Brock Kauffman finished 1-for-4 and extended his hitting streak to seven games. Senior Zarley Cina tallied a double for the Warriors, while junior CJ Lopez finished 1-for-3 at the plate.
 
Michael Greene, who entered the game as a pinch-runner would deliver the big hit for the Pioneers in the top of the eighth with a bases-clearing triple in his lone at-bat. Anthony Vaglica went 1-for-1 with one run batted in and a pair of walks, while Dave Brehm delivered a sacrifice-fly RBI for the Pioneers in the top of the ninth inning. LIU Post worked eight walks in the contest.
 
LIU Post would break a scoreless tie in the eighth after working three consecutive walks to load the bases. Vaglica gave the Pioneers a 1-0 advantage with a single through the left side that allowed Christopher Wasson to score from third. Following a pitching change for ESU, the Warriors would record the second out of the frame on a force-out at home. Greene then delivered a triple down the right field line to empty the bases and make it 4-0.
 
The Pioneers added another insurance run in the top of the ninth as Brehm hit a fly-ball to deep center field that allowed David Franchi to score from second following a diving catch by sophomore Brainy Rojas. Franchi started the inning by reaching on an infield single that would be knocked-down off a diving attempt by junior Anthony Torreullas.
 
ESU had its best chance to score against LIU Post starter James Varela in the bottom of the seventh inning as Kauffman and Rishel started the frame with back-to-back singles. The Pioneers recorded the first out via a bunt that would be popped up to Varela and followed with an inning-ending 6-4-3 double-play. The Warriors left three runners on base in the contest and had one extra-base hit from Cina with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning.
 
Redshirt sophomore Nate Fiala took a no-decision for the Warriors after yielding one hit through four innings of work. Fiala also fanned four Pioneers and issued four walks in the contest. Freshman reliever Justin Guidos scattered a pair of hits through 3.1 innings for ESU while recording four strikeouts. Junior CJ Gonzales (0-1) suffered the loss for the Warriors after facing four batters in the top of the eighth inning. Redshirt senior Matt Durkin closed the game for ESU, allowing one run off one hit to go along with two strikeouts.
 
Varela went the distance for the Pioneers as he scattered four hits through nine innings of work to go along with nine strikeouts and one walk. Varela faced 30 batters in the contest and recorded 12 fly-outs and four ground-outs.
 
The Warriors will play a pair of seven-inning contests tomorrow against Pace and Saint Thomas Aquinas at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary, N.C. ESU returns home to host Clarion in a non-conference tilt on March 15 at 2 p.m.